Economy

Education, health care, and social assistance account for the largest share of jobs in town by a wide margin, followed by hospitality, retail, and professional services. Mining shapes the wider county economy: the Mining District towns sit minutes away, and copper wages set the top of the local pay scale.

Employment by industry, Silver City

Education, health care, and social assistance 36.7%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, and food service 11%
Retail trade 10.9%
Professional, management, and administrative 9.4%
All other industries 32%

Share of employed civilians 16 and over. Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table C24050.

Workforce

10,586
County labor force
Census ACS 2020-2024
3,933
Silver City labor force
Census ACS 2020-2024
$38,711
Median household income
Census ACS 2020-2024

Western New Mexico University anchors the local labor pipeline, and JTIP's small-community tiers apply to Grant County hires: see the JTIP guide.

Housing

$182,100
Median home value
Census ACS 2020-2024
$866
Median gross rent
Census ACS 2020-2024
60.5%
Owner-occupied
Census ACS 2020-2024

Sources and updates

  • U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (population, income, housing, labor force, industry).
  • NM Taxation and Revenue Department GRT schedule, effective July 1, 2026.

All figures on this page carry their source inline. Last reviewed Jul 2026. Corrections are welcome through the contact form.